For All Intents and Purposes
by PurpleRanger101
Summary: Evil is rising in all the cities where Rangers actively serve...Reefside, Blue Bay Harbor, etc. The Ranger teams go to confront the danger but what they find might cost them more then they bargained for.
1. The Beginning of the End

The explosion rocked the Earth. All over the Earth, buildings collapsed, asphalt broke up, chasms opened in the ground and bodies fell. Thousands of bodies. Lying crumpled among the bodies were bodies clothed in red, blue, green, yellow, pink and black suits among other colors. The Power Rangers, for all intents and purposes, had been destroyed.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX **Six Hours Earlier** XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Ahhh..." Connor McKnight leaned back in his chair in the underground lab that housed the Dino Thunder Rangers. "We finally beat Mesagog. Finally."

Trent grinned from his seat on the steps next to Kira. "Yep. No more evil."

A klaxon began blaring from somewhere nearby and Hayley swiveled around from the computer to face the room at large. "Forget to knock on wood?"

"What is it?" Dr. Oliver asked, moving to stand next to her.

"I don't really know, but massive surges of evil have popped up all over the globe. I'm reading them in Angel Grove, Mariner Bay, Jungle Karma Pizza Place, Silver City*, somewhere that I don't know the name of, Blue Bay Harbor, and a town near Rootcore. There's also a place near Andrew Hartford's manor...and Reefside." Hayley glanced around at the faces around her, "I'm also reading a town near the Ninja Rangers' lair. Something's going down."

Tommy looked at Trent and Connor. "Call Kira and Ethan. Tell them to meet us," he paused and looked closer at the screen, "at the corner of Taylor St. and McConnelly Rd. Come on, guys."

Trent and Connor followed Tommy up the stairs as Trent radioed the other two Rangers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time** XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Deep in a tree, Madison and Nick were practicing spells when they were alerted to the evil arousing around the globe.

"Everywhere there's Rangers, there's evil. Including here." Nick pointed out. "Something's not right. Call V and Chip. Tell them to meet us at the Rock Porium. The evil seems to be emanating from there."

As he and Madison rushed from the room, he called Xander and Daggeron.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dana and Kelsey dashed down the hallway as the sirens blared above them. "What do you think is going on?" Dana asked as they ran.

"I'm guessing something bad." Kelsey gasped.

When they entered Ops two minutes later, Carter and Chad were the only ones there besides Captain Mitchell.

"What's up?" Dana asked her boyfriend as she slipped in beside Carter.

"All areas on the Earth where Rangers are known to serve and live are swarming with evil. We've got the epicenter of the evil surrounding Mariner Bay at the Community Center. Let's go." Carter replied.

"Kelsey, call Joel. Dana, grab Ryan on the way out. Move, move, move!" Captain Mitchell's face showed not the slightest hint of fear, though the emotion was coursing through every vein in his body.

XXXXXXXXXXX **At The Same Time **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ashley was excited when Andros came up to her, but when she saw his face, she began to have second thoughts.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Jason just heard from Alpha that Angel Grove is being buried in evil. It's coming from the Youth Center. He's called up all the Space, Zeo or Turbo Rangers and the original Rangers. We gotta go." Andros told her.

"What about the others?" she asked.

"They'll meet us at the Center. Come on!" Andros grabbed her hand and led her out of the room.

XXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time** XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Jen looked at her watch and tapped her foot anxiously. Wes was twenty minutes late. So when his motorcycle squealed to a stop at the curb a minute later, she was prepared to ream him out. The scowl on his face made her pause.

"Grab a helmet, hop on. We've got to be at the Capital in twenty minutes ago." Wes tossed her a pink helmet and motioned for her to join him.

"What's up?" she asked, strapping the helmet on.

"Trouble."

XXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time** XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Dustin's communicator dinged as he leaned into the final turn. Instead he continued on a straight path and off the track.

"Dustin." He pressed the button on his communicator that would answer the call.

"Dustin, Shane. We've got major trouble at the Civic Center. Grab Blake and Hunter and meet me, Cam and Tori there. Out."

Two bikes rolled to stops behind Dustin. "Problems, Dustin?" Blake spoke up.

"Yeah. Let's go." And he roared away, followed by two very bewildered Thunder Rangers.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time** XXXXXXXXXX

Rose walked down the hallways of the school, juggling books and notebooks. Her last class had just ended and she was off to meet Mack. Students milled all around her. She was whistling a meaningless tune when suddenly an irritating beeping started.

Ducking into an empty classroom, Rose fished out her Tracker and flipped it open. "What's the emergency?"

Andrew Hartford's voice came from the Tracker. "We need you at the town center, Rose. Big trouble afoot. Come as quickly as you can."

Rose left the classroom and hurried for the exit.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time ** XXXXXXXXXX

Max walked alone down a side street, trying to figure out something. Suddenly his Growl phone rang.

"Max here. What do you need, Danny?"

Danny replied, his voice emerging from the phone, "I need you to be at the University in five minutes. No questions, just hurry."

Max snapped the phone closed and broke into a run.

XXXXXXXXXXXX **At the Same Time **XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Casey was behind. He was trying to make pizzas but Dominick was playing practical jokes again and he kept having to hunt up the ingredients. Like now, he was searching for the cheese.

"Dominick! Where did you hide the cheese?" Casey called exasperatedly. Just then, RJ rushed into the kitchen. "What's up?" Casey asked warily, giving up on finding the cheese.

"Don't know. Lots of evil…everywhere. And we've got our share here. I'll grab Dom on the way out. Lily, Theo and Jared are already on their way. Let's go!"

Casey yanked off his apron and followed RJ out the door,.

XXXXXXXXXXXX **Now... **XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

All nine Ranger teams rushed towards the danger in their own small parts of the world. Little did they know that danger also faced the Ranger team on Miranoi and that all this danger was not like anything they'd ever faced before. Or were likely to face ever again.


	2. Thunder Falls

Connor, Trent and Tommy raced towards McConnelly Rd. Trent could see Kira and Ethan approaching from Taylor St. They met in the middle of the intersection and looked around.

"See anything?" Trent asked quietly.

"No, but keep your eyes peeled. The evil's here somewhere." Tommy muttered, his head swiveling from side to side.

"Looking for me?" a voice called from the shadows of a building to their left.

The six Rangers whirled around to see a woman strolling their way. She looked very familiar...

Tommy gasped, "Elsa?"

Sure enough, it looked to all intents and purposes like their old nemesis was approaching them. Following her was a horde of Tyrannodrones and Triptoids. Instinctively, Connor and Ethan stepped back into defensive poses, with Kira slightly behind them.

"Elsa?" the woman laughed lightly, "No, not really. I just look like her, a little reminder of who you beat, now that I'm about to beat you."

"You? Beat us? Not likely." Kira called.

"Well, I think you'll be singing a different tune pretty soon." The woman who looked like Elsa cackled and waved a hand lazily. In front of her Tyrannodrones and Triptoids appeared five monsters, giant, ugly things with hair where hair shouldn't be and no hair where hair should be.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" Ethan asked sarcastically.

"Ready, guys?" Connor asked.

"Dino Thunder, power up, Ha!" six voices cried as one.

After a momentary crackle of energy, six suited Rangers stood where teens and one teacher had stood moments before in street clothes.

"Ptera! Tricera! Tyranno! Drago! Brachio!" they yelled and assumed fighting poses.

"You're going to wish you'd never taken us on!" Trent shouted.

"Attack!" the woman cried and her monsters and her army rushed to engage the Rangers.

Kira found herself beset by a six-armed monster covered in a scaly purple hide. His arms swung again and again and she wasn't able to counter every one of them. A lucky punch drove her to her knees. Opening her mouth wide, she screamed! The monster stumbled back a few paces and Kira was able to climb to her feet, to be surrounded by fifteen Tyrannodrones all wanting a piece of her flesh.

Trent had pulled out all the stops and gone straight to Super Dino Mode. He punched and kicked his opponent, a lizard monster with flames emanating from his mouth. Triptoids surrounded the Drago Ranger and it was all he could do to keep them back. He engaged two, sucker punched one and then he felt searing pain all over. A blast of fire from the monster's mouth had washed over his back while it was turned. He screamed in agony, for even though his suit absorbed most of the heat, enough got through to turn his back into a crispy slab of meat. He fell forward, to his knees and tried valiantly to cope with the pain and get back to his feet…

"Trent!" Connor yelled as he slashed and cut with his sword, fighting his way through his own opponents. He had seen his friend enveloped by the blaze and his attention had been diverted for precious seconds, giving the red villain he was fighting ample time to drive him onto the defensive. Desperately, Connor raised his Thundermax Saber in front of him, parrying the hits from his enemy's sword. His attention was so focused on the red beast that he didn't see the Tyrannodrones sneaking up behind him. His first realization that they were there came when he felt claws scraping down his back. An unearthly shriek ripped involuntarily from his mouth and he dropped flat, unable to make his legs do his bidding. Twisting his head this way and that, he could barely make out the brute waving away the dinosaur minions and advancing on his prone position, raising his sword high over his head. Vainly, Connor's hands scrabbled in the dirt for his saber...

Ethan was failing. His body was failing him. His limbs felt like lead as he raised the Tricera Shield in front of him, trying to block the rapid succession of blows from above him. He, unlike the others, was facing just one opponent, but this one had six arms and three heads. Switching his shield from his left hand to his right, he yanked out his Thundermax Saber and swung it wildly. The behemoth in front of him laughed harshly and merely stretched out a hand holding a nasty-looking broadsword. Ethan raised his sword to fend off the attack. Seconds later, he gasped when the broadsword simply cleaved straight through his Saber, leaving two smoking halves of his saber, which tumbled slowly to the ground. Ethan hesitated, staring down at his ruined sword and it was this hesitation that might very well prove to be fatal...

Dr. Oliver's Brachio Staff made a slight whoosh as it sliced through the air to carve up yet another Tyrannodrone and send it hurtling back to the depths of hell from which it came. He paused in his attack just long enough to see the Elsa-lookalike approaching. Quickly dispatching another Tyrannodrone, Tommy went on the offensive. He leapt high, hurtling over a few Triptoids, to land behind the woman and aim a slash at her midsection. With a lazy flick of her wrist, the woman flung a dart at Tommy. He ducked easily and followed up his slash with a right hook that never found its mark. Elsa2 whirled to face him and snapped a kick into his midsection that doubled him over and left him gasping for breath...

This was going from bad to worse. Kira was the only one still on her feet, and as she fought, she couldn't see what was happening to her friends and comrades.

Trent recovered enough to get back to his feet but his fighting strength was nowhere near what it had been. His reaction time was cut in half and over half of the shots aimed at him struck home. The fire monster he had been fighting moved around him, content to let his pawns tire the White Ranger before he moved in for the kill. Trent called out his Drago Sword but a lucky kick from a Triptoid smashed into his hand, flinging the sword from his grasp. Trent raised his clenched fists and fought back, calling on every iota of fighting skill that he had, just to keep him alive. And in the end, it wasn't enough. He saw, rather then felt, the blow that knocked him to the ground and finally overtaxed his suit, causing it to flicker and vanish. As he struggled to get back to his feet, the fire demon opened his mouth and unleashed the biggest flame he had so far. It completely swallowed Trent and, without his suit, there was no way he could survive.

Connor knew that his spinal cord must have been damaged in the attack, because he couldn't feel anything below his waist. He lay there, his hands searching uselessly through the dust, hoping against hope to find his sword just lying there. The monster approached, sword raised and Connor knew that his end had come. He clenched his eyes shut tight, envisioning the sword slashing down, but the clang of metal on metal caused him to snap his eyes right back open. "You all right?" Dr. O gasped, his arms buckling under the weight of the sword that was pressing down on his Brachio Staff. "Dr. O!" Connor exclaimed. His savior stood over him, but for how much longer, Connor didn't know. He could see his teacher's legs shaking, as the weight of the villain pressed down on him.

Connor's vantage point gave him a unique view of what would happen next. Dr. O's attention was solely fixed on beating back the red villain and he was unable to see Elsa2 fire a burst of laser blasts at point-blank range. They burrowed into Dr. Oliver and his morphing suit faded away instantly, unable to compensate for the damage. As his suit disappeared, his strength faded as well and, involuntarily, his sword began to lower. Finding no resistance, the villain's sword passed downward and through whatever stood in its way...in this case Dr. Oliver's now defenseless body. Connor yelled as the body of his mentor thudded to the ground. So focused was he on this horrible spectacle that he didn't see Elsa2 approach and aim his death blow.

Ethan was spent and he knew it. The only thought that kept running through his mind was, _I'm not gonna die in vain. _He used his shield as a bludgeon, whacking his enemies repeatedly over the head. But there were too many...slowly, he was battered to the ground. His morphing suit fluctuated, showing his street clothes and then his blue uniform and finally stopped in the "off" position. Ethan shot a look around, knowing it might be his last glance of the world at large. He saw Trent, or what was left of him, lying burned and crisped on the ground. Connor and Dr. O lay side by side, neither of them breathing. And he knew he was next. When the six-armed behemoth slashed his broadsword in a sideways arc, Ethan had already accepted his fate.

Kira was on her knees again and she knew that she was the last Dino Ranger standing. Standing being a metaphor, as she was more battered then she'd ever been. Her helmet's faceplate had been blown off and there was a bloody gash down her side. She looked up at the brute in front of her and saw, to her surprise, that he was backing off. All the enemies were backing off. They were regrouping on the other side of the road. Kira staggered to her feet, her Ptera Grips clutched in her hands.

"Well, well, well. One little Dino Ranger left. Pity. Now...run back to your little hideaway and tell your fellow Rangers how this is going to be a very long week." Elsa2 taunted.

"No! I'll never let you get away with this!" Kira cried.

"That...you have no say in, my dear." Elsa2 chuckled, and then, with a snap of her fingers, she and her minions disappeared.

Kira screamed in frustration. Through her ruptured faceplate, tears could be seen pouring down her face. Slowly, she limped forward, one hand holding her side, and came to stop next to Trent's blackened body. She knelt beside him, weeping. Losing her cool, she pounded her fists against the ground. For long moments Kira simply sat there and then, she pushed herself back to her feet and, without looking back, she fled the scene, headed back to base to find out what other horrors lay in store.

**Author's Note:** So what do you think? I kinda ran out of ways to kill one of them near the end...review please! Let me know what you think!


	3. Fading Fury

Theo was the first one to show up at the grocery store where the center of the evil was supposed to be. He looked around but no one else was in sight. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lily and Jared approaching.

"What's up?" Jared asked Theo.

"Don't know. Just a concentration of evil that goes off the charts. And it's coming from right here." Theo said as Jared and Lily raced up.

"Let's see...three little Rangers. But where are the rest?" a voice came from around the corner of the music store and seconds later, its owner stepped into view.

"Camille?" Lily asked incredulously. For yes, it appeared that their old nemesis had arrived. But that was impossible…Camille was one of them now.

"Not really...just a copy. But a copy that is stronger and faster. And one who will succeed in defeating you. I suppose I will have to start with you three and just hope that the other three show up to defend you!" Camille clapped her hands imperiously and suddenly there were about fifty Rinshi and five monsters racing full-speed towards the three Rangers.

Theo stepped up beside Jarrod and Lily and pulled out his Solar Morpher. The other two followed suit. "Ready, guys?"

In the time it would take to blink, the Yellow and Blue Jungle Fury Rangers stood in their places and the Lion Ranger stood with them.

Then they had no more time to think as they were forced apart by the sheer numbers of enemies.

Theo pulled out the big guns first. He called on the Jungle Tonfa and swung and punched. He found himself beset by two of the monsters at once, one who was blue with yellow lightening bolts crisscrossing over his chest. The other was pink with fluffy ears. Pinkie wielded a heavy mace while Bolt swung two swords. They were assisted by about fifteen Rinshi. One Rinshi ducked under Theo's protective defense and managed to strike him in the stomach but Theo simply just shrugged it off and continued fighting. Pinkie and Bolt were working well as a team. Bolt danced in and slashed at Theo, then jumped back when Theo returned the cut. He kept Theo's attention focused on him while Pinkie went behind him and attacked while Theo was busy parrying a flurry of hits from Bolt. Consequently, Theo was thrown forward to the ground...

Jarrod was also put upon by two monsters. One was purple with giant red boils while the other was slim and clad in a yellow jumpsuit. Jarrod was using all of his Lion skills but was quickly being overwhelmed. He leapt high, over Boil's head and swept his weapon in a backwards cut, catching the dude off guard and taking him to the ground where he didn't get up. But now Yellow was all over him, swinging wildly and Rinshi were also taking potshots. "Theo!" he called. "I don't know how much longer I can hold these guys off!" His arms were getting steadily more tired...

Lily whirled and ducked. Her Jungle Mace whistled through the air. She was facing just one monster but he kept her on her toes. Green pus oozed from his pores and she felt as if she was becoming covered in slime just by touching the creature. He landed a right hook to her jaw that sent her reeling but she retaliated by snapping a side kick into his stomach. Sneering, she moved onto the offensive, launching kick after kick. Her body began to sweat buckets but still she danced around her opponent. She knew that if she gave an inch, she would be done. Dancing back a pace, she delivered a high kick to his abdomen. All of a sudden she teetered, off balance! Horrified, she saw that Pus-Boy had grabbed her ankle in his two, meaty hands and thrown her off-balance. With a mighty jerk, the creep threw her sideways. Lily tumbled through the air to crash, winded, to the ground…

RJ, Casey and Dominick raced towards the battle. They could see that their friends were struggling to keep up the fight. As they ran, they morphed, calling on their magic to give them extra strength…they got closer and closer but they were still far away and could do nothing yet to help their friends…

Theo hauled himself off of the ground, his morphing suit flickering wildly. He knew he didn't have much energy left but he was determined to fight to the bitter end. Facing both of the monsters at once, he was soon driven down. His morphing suit died, fading away to leave the Blue Ranger unprotected. And unprotected, he fell…

"Theo!" Lily yelled, horrified to see one of their own fall. She had managed to get back up from where she'd been thrown and was now on the defensive, taking shots and retaliating. Her concentration slipped, as she saw the only guy she'd ever liked die. And she wanted nothing more right then to die with him. Halfheartedly, she fended off the next few attacks from the pus covered monster but she knew it was only a matter of time before her time came too.

Jarrod was the first to see the other Rangers approaching. He also knew that it was too late for him and Theo and probably Lily too. Slowly, he was being beaten down. His arms were shooting sparks of pain all through his body. He knew that there was nothing more to be gained. Wildly, he slashed and cut at Yellow and the eight Rinshi surrounding him but soon they overwhelmed him and, because of his sheer exhaustion, bore him to the ground, from which he would never rise again.

"Lily!" RJ cried as he saw his student crash to the ground, her blonde hair lying tousled around her head. RJ somersaulted his way to the monster who had felled the Yellow Ranger and violently engaged him. He parried and blocked and slashed but none of his attacks seemed to be getting through. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Jarrod fall and doubled the attack, determined to make these monsters pay. He whirled, dragging his weapon around in a sideslash but his move took him directly into the path of the monster's foot. The kick struck him in the side and he doubled over involuntarily. Unluckily for RJ, the monster took immediate advantage of the momentary lapse in concentration and brought his fists down on his helmet. Battered, RJ dropped to his knees…

Casey had engaged the two monsters who had brought down Theo. Pinkie was down to just one sword as Casey slashed and cut. Bolt was circling their fight, waiting to strike just when the Red Ranger was most vulnerable. A sudden movement attracted Casey's attention and he was momentarily distracted as he watched RJ fall to a flurry of attacks that had seemed to come out of nowhere. Then a glancing blow struck home on Casey's back and he returned his focus to the fight.

A sudden, loud whistle interrupted the battle and at once, all the monsters backed off. Pinkie and Bolt turned and fled and so did all the others. They came to a stop behind Necrolai and waited.

Casey looked around. He was the only Ranger still standing. RJ, Jarrod, Theo, Lily, Dominick…they were all dead.

"Return to your base. Tell your fellow Power Rangers just how long a week it is going to be. We are going to destroy you all." Camille laughed evilly, turned and strode away.

Casey cursed. He jogged over to RJ's body and knelt beside his mentor. "She will pay for this, RJ. I promise you." Before he could get to his feet, he heard the sound of approaching footsteps behind him.

Jumping up, he pivoted, ready to chop up whoever might be behind him.

"Relax, Casey! It's me," Dominick said as he raised his hands mockingly.

"Dom! I thought you were dead!" Casey exclaimed.

"So did they. I almost was. I went down right there at the end and that's when they backed off. This sucks, dude. What are we going to do now?" Dom powered down and Casey did the same.

"I don't know. I guess we better head back to Jungle Karma till we figure it out. Come on." Casey turned and headed off, Dom right behind him.

**Author's Note: Please read and review, and any ideas you could give would be much appreciated…thanks!**


	4. Revenge

When Casey and Dominick stumbled into Jungle Karma, they found a frazzled Fran waiting for them.

"Where did you guys go? I had to run the place by myself, take orders, make pizzas, take money, serve pizzas, take trash, serve drinks, take tips-" Fran blurted.

Together, Casey and Dominick cried, "Breathe, Fran!"

Fran took a deep breath and asked, in a calmer voice. "Where's Lily and Theo? And Jarrod and RJ?"

Casey merely looked at his feet, tears threatening to escape his control. Dom looked at Fran, pain in his gaze. When he spoke, it was quiet. "They were killed, Fran. There's evil here and it killed them."

"What?" Fran gasped. "No, that's not possible. There's no way…"

"It happened. I tried to help, but there was nothing I could do. No way I could save them." Casey muttered.

Dom laid a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Casey. Lily, Jarrod and Theo were gone by the time we got there. We're just lucky we got away."

Casey wasn't done shouldering the blame. "Whatever, Dom. It was my fault. I'm the Red Ranger. It's my duty to take my team in and get them back out. I'm a failure."

A voice from the doorway startled the three teenagers. "You're not a failure. We all faced evil today and most of us didn't survive. You're not alone."

Dom whirled around to face the new threat, his hands raised. "Who are you?" he asked.

A tall, well-built young man walked towards them. His hair was dark blonde and he wore a red jacket. His eyes were also full of pain. "My name is Carter Grayson. I'm with Lightspeed Rescue."

"Lightspeed Rescue? What is that?" Casey asked, still wary.

"We're a team of Power Rangers from Mariner Bay. A little while ago, I led my team into battle with a copy of Olympius, the demon we thought we had defeated. I was the only one to walk away. I know how you feel, but you can't give up. It's going to take all of us to fight this new threat. We can't do this on our own."

"All of who? I see four people in this room. Fran's no Ranger. And I'm not sure I'm cut out to be one either." Casey mumbled, not meeting Carter's eyes.

"All of us Ranger teams have faced trials today. The Power Rangers of Earth have been decimated by over sixty percent. We have to come together to fight this new evil or we'll all fall alone." Carter explained.

"How'd you know we were here if we didn't even know other Ranger teams existed?" Dom asked curiously.

"Lightspeed Rescue makes it its mission to keep records on all other Ranger teams. When Jarrod released Dai Shi, we knew. When Casey here rescued Jarrod, we knew. That's how I knew where to find you. And I knew you would need help. Don't worry. Just trust me." Carter said.

Casey looked at Dom who nodded. "We're in. Help us get our revenge on the monsters who killed our friends."

"Now that," Carter nodded, "I can do."


	5. Numbers

Hunter stood on a hill overlooking the dirt track. Tears made their own tracks on his face. His mouth twisted in pain as he remembered watching his friends die.

_Shane had been the first to fall. He'd gone down fighting two monsters and when his injuries overtaxed the morphing grid, his powers faded and he was chopped down quickly. Dustin had lost his cool then, and gone head-to-head with Shane's killers. He hadn't had a chance either. Tori…that had been the hardest one to watch. She'd been fighting the best she'd ever fought. Whirling, kicking, karate-chopping, she'd been calling on every inch of her Ninja training to stay on her feet. That's when the big green monster had struck from behind her, slashing through her defenses and taking her leg off at the knee. Her scream…that would stay with Hunter till the day that he died. Blake had gone to her defense, protecting her as she lay on the ground, unable to will her limbs to get her back on her feet. The enemies Blake had been fighting followed him and he was set upon by three giant monsters and their minions. _

Hunter stopped the memories. He couldn't bear to watch his brother die again-once was enough. Cam had died soon after and once Tori's protector had been defeated, her end had been inevitable. Hunter didn't know what he was supposed to do now. He'd gone back to the base but Sensei wasn't there. He assumed the old man was out grieving for his son as Hunter was doing for his brother.

Suddenly, Hunter screamed, a mournful wail that erupted from his chest and filled the silence around him. The sound of a car door slamming behind him caused him to turn and stare at the three guys approaching him.

"What do you want? This isn't a party," Hunter snarled. He wasn't in the mood for visitors.

"I'm Carter Grayson with Lightspeed Rescue. This is Casey and Dominic with Jungle Fury. We're here to ask you to come with us." the one in the front, wearing a red jacket, stepped forward. The other two, one blonde and one with darker hair, hung back.

"Nice to meet you. But I'm busy. Go find some other person to hassle." Hunter turned back to stare at the track, images of his brother whirling through his mind.

"You don't understand. We're Rangers. I'm the Red Lightspeed Ranger, Casey's the Red Jungle Fury Ranger and Dom is the Rhino Jungle Fury Ranger. We need your help to defeat the evil that has taken so many of our Rangers today." Carter explained.

"Oh yeah? Well, in case you hadn't noticed, I'm the only Ninja Ranger left. And I'm not going to be much help if I couldn't even help my team." Hunter's voice dropped to a tortured whisper.

Casey walked forward to stand next to Carter. "Look, dude, I'm the Red Jungle Fury Ranger. I'm supposed to get my team out. I'm supposed to be the one who dies but who gets his team to safety. I failed. And now I need revenge. And that's what I'm going to get. But the only way to get that is to defeat those who killed our friends."

Hunter thought for a moment. "Fine. I'll help. But I hope it's not just the four of us-we won't stand a chance."

Carter turned and headed back towards the Rescue Rover. "Don't worry. Other Rangers are coming. We've got to go pick up a few ourselves."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Carter, Hunter, Casey and Dominic found Kira, the Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger, at Reefside High School, playing her guitar in the courtyard.

Carter approached her. "Kira Ford?"

The girl looked up. Her face was drawn and her eyes were bloodshot. "Yeah. What do you want?"

"Your help. We need you to join us to fight the evil that has decimated the Rangers." Carter held out his hand.

"How do I know this isn't a trick? Some way to finish off the Dino Rangers by killing the one who is left?" Kira asked suspiciously.

Hunter jumped from the Rover and dropped to the bench beside Kira. "Hey, Kira. It's not a trick. We need you."

Kira looked at the young Thunder Ranger. "Hunter? You're ok?"

Hunter's eyes filled with pain and his answer was a simple, "Yes."

Kira faced Carter again. "If Hunter says you need me, I believe him. I'm in."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The five Rangers next stopped at the Clock Tower of Silver City. There they found a young man crying his eyes out on the front steps.

"Wes Collins?" Carter asked as he got out of the car.

The young man looked up, tears still gushing from his eyes. "Yeah? Look, we're not open right now and now's not the best time…perhaps you could come back later."

"Sorry. Carter Grayson, Lightspeed Rescue. I need you to come with us. We need your help." Carter waved towards the Rover.

"No. I can't help anyone right now. Sorry-find someone else." Wes looked back at the ground.

"There is no one else. We need the Red Time Force Ranger to help us defeat the evil that took out over half of our Rangers." Carter said.

"You're going after them?" Wes asked. "After the copies that got my team?" He started to weep again and when he looked up, his face was livid. "They were my responsibility! I was supposed to get them out! I was the one who should have died while they got out! It's all…my…fault."

Casey called from the Rover. "I'm a Red Ranger, too. My team was wiped out. There was nothing I could do about it. I still feel like crap. I feel like the lowest of the low. But I'm going to avenge them. The question is: are you going to avenge your people?"

Wes slowly got up and walked to the Rover. He took the last seat and put a hand on Casey's shoulder. He nodded.

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The copy of Lord Zedd approached the Darkness. "All the remaining Rangers are on their way to the Aquabase, my Liege. Your plan is going perfectly."

The Darkness spoke in a flat, emotionless voice. "Not perfectly, Zedd. Three Rangers survived where they should not have. You had better hope that the Rhino Ranger, the Green Mystic Ranger and the Titanium Ranger do not cause problems. Or there will be more problems for you."

Zedd bowed. "Of course, my Liege. Your plan will be carried out to great success."

"It had better." the Darkness threatened.


	6. Teamup

Carter stopped the Rescue Rover in the bay at the Aquabase. He undid his seatbelt and got out of the vehicle. He looked around at the other Rangers with him.

"Follow me," he instructed and set off. Casey was walking with Wes, Dominic was strolling alongside Kira and Hunter walked at the back. All of them were still downcast and quiet.

They walked into a large room with a long table in the middle and windows lining the walls. A small crowd of people were already there and when Carter and his group walked in, a man in what looked like a Navy uniform asked everyone to take a seat. He stepped to the front of the room and waited until everyone had seated themselves before he began speaking.

"Today, we have taken losses like we have never taken before. Today, we faced evil like we've never faced before. Today, we have suffered pain like we've never suffered before. But it is not over yet. We must regroup and prepare ourselves for round two. I have brought all the remaining Rangers here, to the Aquabase, so that you can learn about each other and work together. Only by working together can we hope to succeed.

"I'm Captain Mitchell, commander of the Aquabase. These two young men," he pointed to Carter and a young man next to him with blonde spiked hair, "are the sole survivors of Lightspeed Rescue. The one in the red shirt is Carter Grayson, red Ranger. The blonde kid is my son, Ryan, Titanium Ranger. Now if you each would just tell us who you are and what team you are from, that would be helpful." He pointed at the young woman sitting next to Ryan.

"I'm Alyssa. White Ranger from Wild Force. Spirit of the Noble Tiger." the small, dark-haired woman didn't smile. "I'm the only Wild Force Ranger left."

The young man next to her spoke with an Australian accent. "Name's Xander. Green Mystic Force Ranger." He jerked a thumb towards the young man scowling next to him. "This is Nick, Red Mystic Force Ranger." Nick nodded but didn't speak.

Next to Nick was another young woman. She tried to put a smile on her face but it came out more as a grimace. "I'm Rose. I'm from Operation Overdrive, Pink Drive Ranger. Sole survivor. All my friends…Mack, Ronny…Will, Dax…Tyzonn…they're all gone. I'm the only one left." A tear stole its way down her cheek.

The young man on her other side rested his hand on her shoulder. He was wearing a denim jacket over a red shirt. His dark hair was carefully spiked. He swallowed hard and then spoke. "I'm Leo. Red Galaxy Ranger. We took our share of the evil on Miranoi. My whole team was wiped out except for me-even my brother, Mike-and he wasn't a Ranger anymore."

Kira was next. She refused to meet anyone's eyes but spoke with her face turned towards the table. "I'm Kira. Yellow Dino Thunder Ranger. My boyfriend was killed this morning. My best friends were killed. I'm going to destroy those who killed them. And then I'm going to kill myself."

No one spoke after that. No one knew what to say. Hunter was sitting next to her and he reached over and wrapped his arms around her, even though she stiffened in his embrace. "Aw, Kir-" he said softly. "Don't think like that. You don't know how much that would hurt us if we were to lose anyone else." He mumbled something else but no one could make it out. Looking up, he said quickly. "Oh, guess I'm next. I'm Hunter, Crimson Thunder Ranger."

That was all the information he offered about himself and then it was on to Wes, seated next to him. Wes's eyes were still bloodshot and his face was grim. "I'm Wes Collins. Red Time Force Ranger. I'm going to avenge my teammates. That is my number one goal."

Another young man was seated next to Wes, wearing a black uniform. "I'm Zhane, Silver Space Ranger. They let me go after all my comrades had been killed. I don't know why. But that's why I'm here."

The next one at the table was a young, blonde woman. When she spoke, her voice also carried an Australian accent. "I'm Katherine Hillard. You can call me Kat. I'm the only survivor of the Zeo Rangers. We fought with the Space Rangers and the Mighty Morphin' Rangers but I was the only Zeo Ranger to survive. I'm the Pink one."

Next to her sat another young man wearing red. His hair was dark and his eyes were full of hate. When he spoke, his words were clipped and each was enunciated. "I'm Jason Scott. I'm the red Tyrannosaurus Ranger. None of my teammates survived."

Last at the table were Casey and Dominic. Dominic spoke up first. "I'm Dominic, Rhino Ranger from Jungle Fury. We're the newest team."

Casey nodded. "I'm Casey. I'm the Red Jungle Fury Ranger, spirit of the Tiger. I'm ready to get revenge on these monsters."

Captain Mitchell stepped back up to the front of the room. "Now that we all know each other, let's get busy. I want you to break into pairs with someone you don't know and go to the gym. Or one of the workout rooms. You're to learn about each other and each other's fighting techniques. We're going to change partners and hopefully each one of you will get to work with every other Ranger. This will help when it is time for the battle-you will bolster each other's weaknesses. Of course, we have no idea when the enemy will attack again so this may all be cut short very soon. We will see."

**Author's Note: I know this was crazy boring but I had to get the informative stuff out of the way-there will be one more chapter of informative stuff before we get to the major battle! thanks! please read and review!!**


	7. They're Back

Casey approached Rose, trying to put a smile on his face. He stuck his hand out as he reached her. "I'm Casey from Jungle Fury. You're Rose, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, from Operation Overdrive. You want to train together?"

Casey headed for the door, calling over his shoulder, "I'd love to!"

They walked towards the gym. Casey decided to find out a little more about this young woman. "So, Rose, tell me a little about yourself. So I know who I'm working with."

Rose thought for a minute before answering. "Well, let's see. I teach at a University and I've been studying computers and robotics on the side. I'm the Pink Drive Ranger-I use the Drive Geyser to defeat bad guys. I was pretty close to the Red Overdrive Ranger, Mack…I think I'll miss him most of all. Hmmm…I'm also genetically enhanced-I can become invisible. And I'm also ready to get revenge. What about you, Casey? What should I know about you?"

Casey's reply was quicker than Rose's had been. "I'm a Pai Zhuq master, but I didn't get my stripes until I learned that to be a leader was to lead and not always to follow others. I embody the spirits of the tiger and the shark. Um, I'm the newest member of my team to Pai Zhuq. And now I'm teaching classes at the Academy with Jarrod. Or I was."

They continued to talk as they walked towards the gym…

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Dominic ambled up to Jason, who was still seated at the table. He held his hand out towards the legendary Red Ranger and said, "You want to train together?"

Jason got up and shook Dom's hand. "Sure. Why not?"

They headed for the door and Dominic introduced himself. "I'm Dominic from Jungle Fury. Rhino Ranger. I was the newest addition to the team, after six years of trying to find my focus. I like to play practical jokes and I've gotten on Casey's nerves more than once. I'm not a Pai Zhuq master-that path's not for me. And I'm not really a leader; that role's always belonged to Casey. So…what can you tell me about you? Other than that you were the first red ranger ever."

Jason didn't speak for a minute. "I was retired from being a Ranger. I was the original Red Ranger and the original leader of the Power Rangers. I was retired once, but came back to help out the Zeo team as the Gold Ranger. Then I thought I was retired for good, but my girlfriend, Kimberly, and I got captured by Divatox and we had to fight again-but only for one mission. Then I got called back into action a year or so ago to join a team of Red Rangers; that was only for one mission too. And then I get called back one more time-but this time my team is wiped out. Zhane, Kat and I were the only survivors from our battle. It's been rough, I can tell you that."

Dominic nodded. "Wow. I can't imagine having thought it was over, only to have to wake up and put on the suit again. That's crazy. Well, let's go make sure no more Rangers have to die."

"I like that plan," Jason agreed.

They hadn't gone more than a few paces down the hallway when a siren began to blare and Ryan, the Titanium Ranger, came running up to them. "No time, guys. The monsters have returned. Come on, we have to go to the launch bay!"

He sprinted on and Dom and Jason looked at each other before charging after him.

**Author's Note: Ok, so this was just filler. But now we get to the good stuff! At least, I think it's good stuff.**


End file.
